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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — a line
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — to recline
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. row — to paddle
  11. tube — a container
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cell — a phone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cell — in biology
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com